On Paper

by Shae Scott

  Miles took the box of books that we'd brought down with us and started placing them on the table. I watched the crowds as they started to trickle in. There was a DJ and the music was pumping loudly through the speakers. The lights were dimmed, the room lit only with strategically placed twinkle lights and the pulsating colors on the dance floor.

  "I only brought a few copies of End Game. I didn't know if you wanted to give any away," Miles said holding up a copy of my new book. It was the final installment to my series and wasn't set to release for another month.

  "I don't know. We'll see. Just keep them in the box for now," I said, distractedly scanning the crowd for dark caramel waves.

  "There she is," Miles said, standing straight beside me and craning his head to get a better look at the crowd. I followed his gaze and smiled when I saw dark and twisty and her side kick.

  "I'm going to go introduce myself. You'll be okay here, right?" he said, rounding the table and heading off before I could say anything.

  "Asshole,” I muttered under my breath. I pulled the chair out from the table, ignoring the scrape of metal across the floor and sat down in a frustrated huff. I watched as Miles disappeared into the crowd. Not only couldn't I see him anymore, but I couldn't see Book Nerd either. I'd only caught a glimpse of her before she’d disappeared. Her hair had been pulled back into one of those fancy ponytails that gathered her long waves and sent them cascading down her back. Her black dress was simple, but it hugged her body, giving my imagination plenty of images to get creative with.

  I wanted to follow Miles into the crowd, but I had my responsibilities as I was reminded when a group of women walked up to the table. I gave them a big smile and asked them their names, all the while cursing Miles in my mind. If he blew it with that chic I might never get to talk to her friend. I needed her name. I couldn't keep calling her Book Nerd. I ran through a list of names in my head, trying to predict what it might be, but nothing felt right.

  I tried to push it from my mind and concentrate on the conversations that I was having. The people were nice and I agreed to head out to the dance floor and join them eventually. I glanced down at my watch noting that I was only required to be at my table for another thirty minutes. Miles hadn't come back. He was such an amazing assistant. I was going to kick his ass later. The least he could have done was brought the girls back to the table and introduce them to me.

  Then again, Miles didn’t usually bring his dates around. Not that I'd ever in a million years make the moves on some girl he was into, but in places like this, he'd been forgotten before, so I got it.

  Miles didn’t need any help in the ladies department. He had enough swagger all on his own. But I respected the fact that he wanted to distance himself from me. Even if he was only hooking up with someone, he’d rather it be based on his own merit and not on who his brother was. That kid had a good head on his shoulders, even if it meant he cared more about things than he probably should. I tried my best to look out for him.

  I leaned back in my chair; the hard metal was causing my ass to go numb. I was ready to pack it up and go mingle. I needed a drink. I had sat here long enough.

  I left the swag on the table and leaned down to grab the box of books at my feet. That's when I saw the movement of caramel hair and the flash of fitted black material over shapely hips. They were headed this way. Well, the brunette was headed to the table, Book Nerd looked liked she was being forced against her will.

  I watched as they approached and smiled at the way she had her arms folded across her chest. She avoided my gaze, glancing everywhere but at me or my table.

  "Hi," her friend smiled as she walked up. "I was hoping I'd catch you. I wanted to see if you could sign a book for me.”

  "Of course, I’d be happy to,” I smiled. “I didn't catch your name earlier during the Q&A." Maybe if I could get dark and twisty’s name I could get Book Nerd’s name too.

  "I'm Lily," she said, offering her hand. I shook it and then turned to her friend, who was still refusing to look at me.

  "And you are?" I asked willing her eyes to meet mine. She obliged, her gaze locking on my own. Her mouth opened and then closed, her tongue, followed by her teeth danced across her bottom lip and I couldn't stop the instant lust that fisted through my gut.

  "I'm Quinn," she said.

  I repeated her name back to her, now that I had it I wanted to hear it falling from my lips. Quinn. I cleared my throat, forcing myself to stop staring at her. Finally able to see her up close I could see that her eyes were not merely hazel, but iridescent. She quickly cast her gaze to the floor, her long lashes sweeping across her cheeks. I couldn’t help but imagine her looking up at me from behind those lashes, working me over with that pretty little mouth. Shit. I needed to snap out of it.

  "So, are you ladies here for the entire week?" I asked as I took Lily's book from her and grabbed a marker.

  "Uh huh, we are having the best time. We want to get out and explore the city some, but there’s so much to do here that we haven't had a chance yet. This is our first time to one of these, so it's pretty exciting," she rattled off. I smiled, she was full of energy. Quinn remained silent beside her.

  "And you're having a good time too, Quinn?" I asked. I wanted to hear her voice, but she was being so quiet. She was guarded, compared to her friend.

  "It's been fun," she agreed simply. I wasn't getting anywhere with this girl.

  I handed Lily back her book and then glanced back at Quinn. "Do you have a book you want me to sign?" I asked.

  She smirked and then shook her head. "I didn't bring any books down with me. But thank you." She was polite, I’d give her that, but I got the feeling that she didn't like me much.

  "Oh, there's that Miles guy. I'll be right back, Quinny." Lily left, and I glanced back at Quinn who was gaping after her. She'd been abandoned and she was now standing here alone with me. This night was turning around.

  "Does she do that a lot?" I laughed.

  Quinn turned back to me and gave me a weak smile. "Unfortunately."

  "Well, you can talk to me until she gets back," I offered. "I even have an extra chair." I patted the chair beside me in invitation.

  "I should probably get going. Thanks though," she said moving to leave.

  "Have you read any of my books?" I blurted. She turned back to me her gaze questioning, so I pushed on. "You said you didn't bring any books down with you. I have some here; I could give you one if you'd like. No pressure," I smiled. I reached down into the box and pulled out a copy of the new book and opened it to the title page.

  "Oh, um, that's not necessary, I'm sure you don't have many of those." She was fidgeting and I realized that I was making her nervous.

  I scribbled a message and then pushed the book towards her.

  "I insist."

  She ran her fingers across the cover, her nails perfectly cut and polished.

  "Thank you," she said softly.

  "You're welcome. Now, how about you sit with me?"

  Her gaze took me in, assessing me. "I appreciate it. But I think I'm just going to go and get a drink," she said, taking a step away from the table.

  "Wait, don't go yet. I'm all alone over here. If you give me a few minutes I can go with you," I said throwing her a smile. The smile I used when I wanted to get my way.

  "You don't have to do that."

  "I want to."

  I watched as she forced a smile, "I appreciate the offer. But I'm not really--." Her sentence hung in the air, uncompleted.

  "Not what?" I dared.

  "I'm not a groupie. I'm not going to swoon over you," she blurted.

  I sat back in my seat, surprised by her words. I stifled the chuckle that threatened, knowing it wouldn’t earn me any points.

  "Oh. I didn't mean to imply that you were," I said.

  That made her blush. I loved the way it turned her cheeks the softest shade of pink.

  She crossed her arms across her chest again. It was her defense mechanism. She wa
s shutting me out.

  "I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot," I said carefully.

  "We haven't gotten off on anything, Mr. Harris. I'm just not really interested in sitting here with you. Honestly, I'm not the kind of girl you want sitting with you anyway," she said.

  "And what kind of girl is that?" I asked curiously.

  "The one you will take upstairs later," she said bluntly.

  I laughed. I couldn't help it. I hadn't expected that answer. Fire flamed behind her eyes and she squared her shoulders.

  "I'm sorry. It’s just . . . you surprised me," I admitted.

  She opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a commotion behind her. We both turned to see a group of girls coming up to the table. "You're Keaton Harris, right?" the one in front asked. I glanced from the girl back to Quinn and cursed shitty timing.

  "That's me," I smiled turning my attention back to our new company.

  "I love your books. They are so good," she started. I glanced back to Quinn, but she was already walking away. Shit. "Oh my gosh, this is End Game. Are you giving these out? I have been dying waiting for this book," she said. I glanced over to see Quinn's book still lying on the table. She hadn't even taken it with her. I sighed and picked it up, putting it back into the box.

  "Sorry, I'm just a tease," I smiled, regrouping.

  She was gone and I hated the disappointment that settled in chest at her sudden absence.

  I WASN'T QUITE sure what to make of Keaton Harris. The fact that I was spending any time trying to figure it out at all was annoying. I hated guys like him. Cocky and arrogant. I'd met my share of them. They thought they could just smile or throw you a sexy smirk and your panties would just melt right off of your body. And most of the time, with guys that looked like that, they would. But I wasn’t most girls. I didn’t fall for most things.

  That’s not to say I was completely immune. Even I could appreciate the fact that Keaton Harris was stunningly attractive. I just preferred guys who didn’t know they were stunningly attractive. It took the fun out of it. Besides, I tended to like my sexy with a side of nerd. I wanted someone who was going to stimulate my brain before going down on me…or at least afterwards. That was the fun part of a relationship, the peeling back of layers and getting to know what was underneath. That's not to say that the panty droppers didn't have depth, I'm sure that some of them did. But it hadn't been my experience and honestly, I just didn't have the energy to give them the benefit of the doubt. It just wasn't my thing. They weren't my type.

  Keaton Harris was no different. I could have spotted him a mile away even if he hadn't been preceded by his reputation. He was a walking sex pot, his gaze leering around him looking for a new conquest. He was a constant predator. A place like this was like fishing in a bucket. He didn't have to work for anything. It was like an unlimited pass to the buffet of whore. He provided the fantasy and they provided a distraction. I'd heard the ladies talk about him. He was known to sleep around; I guess any guy would in his situation, but I avoided guys like that.

  I could have killed Lily for leaving me at that table the night before. I hadn't even wanted to go up there with her. Not after she had asked him about writing sex scenes. There was no telling what would come out of her mouth. I had fully expected her to go through on her threat and ask to feel up his abs. I did not want to be a part of it. But she had dragged me along anyway, just like she always did. She couldn’t be trusted.

  Looking back, I think I’d rather her have asked about the abs. It would have saved me the awkwardness of standing there with him once she’d left. I hadn’t meant to be a bitch to him or imply that he was trying to pick me up, but it had all slipped out in horrifying slow motion. I blamed the grin. As much as I wanted to be immune to it, up close and personal it was hard to deflect. Thank God that group of girls had come up so I could escape. If I could avoid him the rest of this trip I was going to. It was bad enough the whole ugly scene had been replaying over and over in my head all morning; I didn’t want to have to see him again in person.

  Lily and I joined the crowds shuffling down the hallways between meeting rooms. I glanced down at the well-worn piece of paper in my hand that held the room numbers and times of all of the day’s events.

  "Hey, I'll meet you in there. I just need to go to the ladies room. You go and save us a seat," Lily said. Lily always had to pee. I was used to this. I waved her off and moved down the hall. I glanced down at my schedule, looking for the room number.

  "Hi, Quinn." A deep voice stopped me in my tracks and I looked up, way up, into the soft blue eyes of Keaton Harris. He was standing just off the hallway in a little alcove. Lurking in the shadows.

  "Oh, um, hi," I said surprised. Surprised that he was standing here, surprised that he was stopping to talk to me, and surprised that he actually remembered my name.

  "I was hoping I would run into you today," he smiled.

  That took me aback. "You were?" I asked suspiciously. Why on earth would he want to see me again? I'd spoken to him for only a few minutes and I hadn't even been that nice to him.

  "You left your book at the party last night." His voice was smooth and warm and I hated the way it left goose bumps on my flesh. He probably practiced that voice in his spare time.

  I walked over to him reluctantly, just to get out from the flow of traffic. I shook my head, "I didn't have any books with me last night. I’m pretty sure Lily got her's back to the room," I said. I could see that he was holding the copy of his latest book, the one that hadn't been released and everyone was desperate to get their hands on. The one that I'd intentionally left on his table last night. He wanted me to want it and for that reason I didn't. I'd actually been looking forward to reading it. I'd even pre-ordered a copy. But he didn't need to know that.

  For whatever reason I didn’t feel the same pull to read his words that I’d had before. It was weird. I was having trouble connecting the amazing words in his books to the arrogant, fake ones that he seemed to use in real life. When I’d read his stuff I’d always felt a real honesty and a vulnerability that I could connect to and I’d always thought it was weird that people called him a player, because he’d always written with real depth. That was until I’d seen him saunter into that panel like sex on legs. His intense presence was overwhelming and the reality of him left me disconnected to the emotions he put on paper. Maybe you couldn’t judge a book by its cover, but could you judge a book by its author? I wasn’t sure anymore.

  "Oh, but you did leave something behind. See, I turned around and found this sitting on the table. I tried to find you, but you were already gone," he said. He opened the cover and nodded as if to confirm what he was telling me. "Yep, this is yours. I put a special message in it. It says right here . . . To Quinn. That's you." He gave me that sexy little smirk that he was known for. He was a complete flirt. It was no wonder he had a group of ladies scouring this hotel for him at all times. He was a fiction rock star.

  "You didn't have to do that," I said politely. I didn't want to be rude to him. I just didn't want him to think that he could win me over.

  "But I wanted to. I wanted to talk to you last night too," he admitted and for a second I saw something new flash across his features. As if the cool, suave mask had slipped just a little. It slid back into place just as quickly though, so I was sure that I had imagined it.

  "From what I saw you weren't lacking for attention or conversation," I laughed.

  He shrugged. "I would have liked to talk to you though," he said. Again, it was as if the arrogant shield had slipped a little. He held out the book to me and waited.

  "Thank you for the book," I said finally, taking it from his grasp. He smiled, and this time it felt genuine.

  "You are welcome." He made no move to leave and I didn't know what to do to get him to go away.

  "Um, okay, well thanks again." I stepped to the side to head the opposite direction.

  "Wait. Where are you going?" he asked, his step mir
roring mine and blocking my path. I sighed.

  "I have a panel that I'm late for," I said.

  "Anything interesting?" he asked curiously. Well, he pretended to be curious. I had no doubt that he was anything but. I put his book in my bag and shifted it on my shoulder.

  "Yes, actually," I said crossing my arms against my chest. If he thought I was going to tell him so he could show up he was wrong.

  He smiled, amused at my vagueness. "Okay. Well, go to your panel then. I hope I see you again soon," he said.

  I gave him a noncommittal nod and then stepped back into hall. I swear I could feel his eyes locked on me as I walked away. I didn't want to turn around to see him, but I did. He was leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, smile in place as if he had been sure that I would look back. I hated that he'd been right.

  After an afternoon apart, me to a lecture on publishing and Lily to cover model Bingo, we met back up to converge on the goody room and gorge out on free books and swag. We moved down the rows of tables covered with lollipops and bookmarks. I even got a pizza cutter with a hot model on it. A pizza cutter. Unique. I wondered if the hot model would make me feel guilty when I was eating my frozen pizza.

  "We're going to need an extra bag for the plane ride home," Lily pointed out as we both filled our bags with free stuff. She was right; I had so much to carry. And I hadn't even gone to the signing yet where I planned to drop a pretty penny on books. It was worth the extra baggage fee. My bookcase at home was going to look amazing.

  "So do you really want to go to that bar hop thing tonight or do you want to go and see the city. I don't want to miss out on doing a little sight seeing while we are here," I said.